Iredell County, North Carolina
Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 159,437. Its county seat is Statesville . It is a major hub of NASCAR racing, with many race shops located in the county (mostly around Mooresville). NASCAR also operates the NASCAR Technical Institute Universal Technical Institute operates NASCAR Tech under licensing agreements. The school offers racing-related instruction to prepare the student for their job search in the racing industry. Many NASCAR drivers live around Mooresville and Lake Norman. Although northern Iredell County has retained much of its rural character, the southern half of the county is experiencing rapid suburbanization and population growth, largely due to the immense popularity of the Lake Norman area for residents of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city. Iredell County is an important transportation center for the state, as both Interstate 77 and Interstate 40 cross just north of Statesville. This has given birth to the county's slogan "Crossroads for the Future." Residents have easy access south down I-77 to Charlotte, North Carolina, north to Elkin, North Carolina, Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia, east to Winston-Salem and Greensboro, and west along I-40 to Hickory, North Carolina, and Asheville. Farming is still a major source of income for many Iredell County residents. Dairy farming has been particularly popular in Iredell County for centuries, in both the northern and southern sections of the county. However, the rapid population growth and development in southern Iredell County is putting increasing pressure on farmlands, and many farms in this section are giving way to shopping centers, housing developments, and large corporate office parks. Law and government Iredell County is governed by the Board of Commissioners, consisting of five commissioners elected at large. Iredell County Commissioners (2010 - present): Steve Johnson (Chairman), Marvin Norman (Vice-Chairman), Ken Robertson, Frank Mitchell and Renee Griffith The Sheriff of Iredell County is Phillip Redmond, first elected in 1994. The Register of Deeds of Iredell County is Matt McCall, first elected in 2010. The Register of Deeds serves as custodian and manager of a large number of Public Records. These include legal documents such as Deeds, Deeds of Trust, powers of attorney, maps, military discharges and other documents. The Register of Deeds also issues marriage licenses, certified birth and death certificates and administer oaths to notaries. Education The county is served by the Iredell-Statesville Schools school district. The district contains the following schools: [Iredell-Statesville Schools web page Secondary schools *CCTL Early College High School at Mitchell Community College *Career Academy and Technical School *Monticello (combined elementary, middle, and high school, 4-12) *North Iredell *Pressly combined elementary, middle, and high school, K-12) *South Iredell *Statesville *Visual and Performing Arts Center *West Iredell *Mount Mourne IB (combined middle and high schools, 6-10) *Northview IB (combined middle and high schools, 6-10) Middle Schools *Brawley *East Iredell *Lakeshore *North Iredell *Northview *Statesville *Troutman *West Iredell Elementary Schools *Celeste Henkel *Central *Cloverleaf *Coddle Creek *Cool Spring *East Iredell *Harmony *Lake Norman *Lakeshore *N. B. Miills *Scotts *Sharon *Shepherd *Third Creek *Troutman *Union Grove *Woodland Heights The city of Mooresville also is served by the Mooresville Graded School District, which contains: South Elementary Park View Elementary Rocky River Elementary Mooresville Intermediate East Mooresville Intermediate Mooresville Middle Mooresville Senior High N.F. Woods Advanced Technology and Arts Center (Branch of Mooresville Senior High) Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.59%) is water. Iredell County is located within the Piedmont Region of central North Carolina. The northwestern section of the county contains the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains far to the west. The highest point in Iredell County, Fox Mountain, is in the Brushies; it rises to 1,760 feet. Although the "Brushies", as they are often called locally, are not high in the normal sense, they do rise prominently above the surrounding countryside. The remainder of Iredell County consists of gently rolling countryside occasionally broken by low hills and small river valleys. The county's largest river, the Catawba, forms much of its western border. Lake Norman, North Carolina's largest manmade lake, is the most prominent geographic feature of southern Iredell County; it is often called North Carolina's "inland sea". Iredell County is one of the longest counties in the state and stretches for nearly fifty miles north to south from Yadkin County in the north to Mecklenburg in the south. The northern third of Iredell county is highly rural and contains no large towns. Due to the thinly-populated nature of this portion of the state, it is one of the select places in North Carolina where the speed limit on Interstate Highways exceeds 65 mph, as Interstate 77 north of Statesville has a speed limit of 70 mph. The county is divided into seventeen townships: Barringer, Bethany, Chambersburg, Concord, Coddle Creek, Cool Springs, Davidson, Eagle Mills, Fallstown, New Hope, Olin, Sharpesburg, Shiloh, Statesville, Turnersburg, Union Grove Harmony Adjacent counties *Yadkin County, North Carolina - north-northeast *Davie County, North Carolina - east-northeast *Rowan County, North Carolina - east *Cabarrus County, North Carolina - south-southeast *Mecklenburg County, North Carolina - south *Lincoln County, North Carolina - south-southwest *Catawba County, North Carolina - southwest *Alexander County, North Carolina - west-northwest *Wilkes County, North Carolina - north-northwest Iredell County, along with Moore County in the eastern Piedmont, are among a very few counties in the United States sharing borders with nine adjacent counties. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 122,660 people, 47,360 households, and 34,667 families residing in the county. The population density was 213 people per square mile (82/km²). There were 51,918 housing units at an average density of 90 per square mile (35/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.17% White, 13.67% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 47,360 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $41,920, and the median income for a family was $49,078. Males had a median income of $34,590 versus $24,031 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,148. About 6.20% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over. Economy Ingersoll Rand has its North America headquarters in the Iredell County side of Davidson."Contact Us." Ingersoll Rand. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. "North America Headquarters 800-E Beaty Street Davidson, NC 28036 USA""Davidson Streets." City of Davidson. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. Cities and towns *Davidson (pt.) *Harmony *Love Valley *Mooresville *Statesville *Stony Point (pt.) *Troutman Unincorporated townships *Barium Springs *Barringer *Bells Crossroads *Bethany *Chambersburg *Coddle Creek *Concord *Cool Springs *Doolie *Eagle Mills *Fallstown *Mount Mourne *New Hope *Olin *Sharpesburg *Sheperd/Sheperds *Shiloh *Stony Point *Turnersburg *Union Grove See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Iredell County, North Carolina * [[USS Iredell County (LST-839)|USS Iredell County (LST-839)]] References External links *Iredell County government official website Category:Iredell County, North Carolina Category:Counties of North Carolina Category:Established in 1788